Chess: Harika Dronavalli stuns world No 24 Awonder Liang at Grenke Freestyle Open

In an unexpected result at the 2026 Grenke Freestyle Open, India's Harika Dronavalli registered against a higher rated world No 24 Awonder Liang of the United States.

Playing with the white pieces, Harika took down Awonder, who is rated 2718 in classical chess, in just 25 moves. For context, Harika is rated only 2470 in classical chess.

It was an evenly fought battle until the 18th move, Awonder misplaced his dark squared bishop. The move led him to lose his knight in the 22nd move before he resigned.

The 23-year-old is considered to be one of the brightest young talents to emerge from the United States in recent times.

The win over Awonder marked a third straight win for Harika in as many rounds at the 2026 Grenke Freestyle Open. She had beaten lower rated Frank Baur and Sreyas Payyappat in the first two rounds earlier in the competition.